Bayou Corruption (21 page)

P
eople swarmed in all directions. Women cried out. Men shouted.

Alyssa ran toward the French doors. Luc grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop.

“I have to see if he's okay.” She struggled to break free of Luc's hold. The panic almost choked her. “I need to know. I love him.” Sobs ripped from her chest. She shivered.

Luc held her steady. “You won't be much help to him right now. I'll let you know immediately. I promise.”

She nodded, shoving the tears from her face.

Luc barged out the French doors. Alyssa couldn't stop herself from going to the doorway.

Images of the sheriff's beaten body flashed across her mind. But it was Jackson's face she saw.

Luc tore across the yard.

Another gunshot split the air.

Without thinking, Alyssa ran onto the patio. Her heart filled her throat.

“Get down,” someone yelled.

She turned in the direction of the voice.

“Alyssa!”

Her body quivered at the sound of Jackson's voice.

Rough hands grabbed her from behind. One covered her mouth. “Don't move.”

Senator Mouton had her! What?

The cold muzzle of a handgun pressed against her neck.

She froze. She would die, just like her parents. Murdered. By the same man's hand.

“Do exactly what I tell you, and you won't get hurt,” the senator growled in her ear. “You're more like your mother than I thought. I'd stuck around only to get the opportunity to take you out quietly, and look at the trouble you've caused for me. I could be on a beach in another country if it weren't for you.”

Luc, Jackson and Agent Olson moved toward her, flanking all sides. Jackson's right shirt sleeve had a large red splotch on the shoulder, seeping downward. Had he been shot? Alyssa's stomach dropped to her knees. Her legs turned to oatmeal. She went slack against Mouton.

“Stand up now, or I'll shoot you,” he said. “Y'all stay back or I'll kill her.” His voice got louder, booming in her ear, a jarring reminder of how quickly a life could end.

The three men halted.

“Let her go, Senator,” Jackson said.

Alyssa blinked back fresh tears. She'd die without getting a chance to tell Jackson she loved him. Every nerve in her body tensed into a tight coil.

The French doors burst open. Felicia nudged her wheelchair over the threshold. “Luc?”

Mouton lifted the gun and pointed it directly at Felicia, who gasped and tried to reverse the wheelchair. Frank darted around Felicia, charging the senator.

Senator Mouton fired.

The gunshot reverberated inside Alyssa's head.

“No-o-o-o!”

Frank collapsed to the ground. Jackson and Luc rushed forward, only to be halted by the barrel of Mouton's gun.

“Get out of my way. We're going to walk to my car, nice and slow. None of you make a move, or she's toast.”

Oh, God, I know I'm new at this personal relationship with You, but please save me. I don't want to die. There's been too much killing already. Please, God, don't let him shoot me.

Peace as calm as the morning sun touching the bayou filled her. Her legs found muscle. She straightened.

“Come on, move it.” The senator shoved her toward the circular driveway, still pressing her body against his, using her as a human shield. “Your mother didn't know when to let things go, either.”

She took a shaky step. She glanced to where the three men looked poised to spring. Maybe four feet? She took another step.

“That's right, easy does it.” Mouton pushed her toward his car.

If he got her in the vehicle, he'd kill her for sure.

Alyssa took another step, sucked in air and offered up a final silent prayer. Then she rammed her elbow into his gut with every ounce of strength she could muster.

He dropped the gun and fell backward, grunting.

Luc and Agent Olson moved as one. Luc tackled Mouton while Agent Olson grabbed his gun. Jackson seized Alyssa, pulling her to his chest, and twisted them away from the grappling men. “Shh,” Jackson whispered against her hair.

“Frank?”

He glanced at the paramedics. “I don't know. But I think it was a heart shot,
chère.
”

“No.” She pushed a few inches away from him, tears streaming from her eyes. “I was scared you'd been shot.”

He smiled and ran a thumb over her scar. “The senator got Olson's gun away from him and fired off a shot.” He glanced at his shoulder. “Just grazed me. Nothing more than a scratch.”

“You don't get it. I thought he'd killed you before I…” She couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

“It's okay. We're fine.” He enveloped her in a hug.

“I thought I wouldn't get a chance to tell you that I love you.”

 

Agent Olson had hauled Senator Mouton away while a paramedic treated Jackson's shoulder. The local sheriff deputies waited for the coroner to come—the shot to Frank's chest had been fatal. The doctor had given Felicia and Hattie sedatives. Both now slept in their beds. Jackson didn't envy Luc's position. He'd had a hard time consoling his sister. It had taken him and CoCo an hour to get her calmed down before the doctor arrived.

And Hattie? Well, Jackson actually felt sorry for her. She'd been humiliated with the townsfolk over the scenario, but she'd held Felicia while she cried. Maybe they'd work their issues out together.

Agent Lockwood finished taking their statements and put his notebook away. He shoved to his feet. “Once Roger heard we'd busted the senator, he sang like a bird. Implicated Senator Mouton as the designer of the whole plan. Apparently he's been coordinating this arms smuggling for almost two decades—the entire time he's been in office. He was more scared his low-life partners would kill him than he was of our prosecution.”

“Which is what our mother discovered.” Alyssa stared across the room at CoCo and Tara.

“Yeah. Gocheaux piped in that he and Burl had killed your parents and made it look like an accident. Thibodeaux killed Kevin Arnold. All on Mouton's orders.”

“Why would he admit doing such a thing?” Alyssa asked.

Lockwood smiled, but the expression looked forced. “Because he's trying to make himself a sweeter deal. Turning evidence. Burl says he was coerced into cooperating. Threats against his wife.”

Jackson snaked his arm around Alyssa's waist. They sat together on the sofa, both perching on the edge of the seat. She snuggled closer.

Standing, Luc extended his hand to the FBI agent. “Guess that wraps it all up.”

“We'll need each of you to come by and sign your statements.” He nodded to Jackson. “ATF's Internal Affairs will be contacting you for a statement, too.”

“For what?” Alyssa asked.

“Because Mouton got Agent Olson's firearm away from him. The senator shot Jackson with a government-registered gun. The agency isn't too keen on situations like that.” Agent Lockwood gave a final nod before leaving.

“I'm going to check on Fels.” CoCo drew to her feet.

Luc automatically took her arm and moved with her.

Jackson wanted to be alone with Alyssa, to talk about where they went from here, and stood. He held out his hand to her. “Care to walk with me,
chère?
”

She glanced at Tara, who smiled. “I'm gonna start helping the staff pick up. I might want to take some food home. No sense letting good grub go to waste.”

Outside, the sun had set. Only the final streaks of purple stood out against the darkening sky. Jackson took Alyssa into his arms and kissed her, pouring every bit of his heart into the embrace.

He stepped back, cupped her face in his hands and ran his thumb over her scar. “Now, about what you said to me…”

“What?” A smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

“You told me that you loved me.”

She arched a single eyebrow. “I did? Are you sure?”

A life with her would be many things, but never boring. Not for one minute. “I'm positive I heard you say that.” He tilted his head to the side and tapped his chin with his finger. “Yeah, I'm certain.”

“Well, if you're sure, then.”

“But it wouldn't hurt anything to hear you say it again. Just so I don't forget.”

“I love you, Jackson Devereaux.” She smiled softly, those eyes of hers dancing.

He pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. “And I love you,
chère.
”